Guest Blog: Home Savory Home

Who doesn’t love a vacation? I know that I do! I have been very lucky to live within several miles of my in-laws for the past 17 years. On occasion when we would leave for a long vacation, we would come home to either a dinner waiting for us at home, or more often an invitation to come over for a nice hot meal already ready for us. You have to love that welcome home. Today we have another new guest blogger, Rachel from Rachel’s Table. She has her own tale of post-vacation food. Welcome Rachel….

What is it about going away that makes me so glad to be home? The anticipation leading up to my most recent vacation was palatable. I was in a frenzy getting ready, packing, planning, and trying not to over-plan, and generally thinking about endless days off and time away. But by the time vacation was over and we headed back down 95 South, I was aghast to realize I was EXCITED and almost GRATEFUL to see the sign for the New Jersey Turnpike.

That’s not to say I didn’t have an amazing time. Exploring the beautiful beaches and eating the local foods of Cape Cod never gets old, which brings me to another thought. Why am I, and many others I know, creatures of habit? Cape Cod is my childhood vacation spot. My entire life, I spent magical summers searching for shells, making sand palaces, and watching sunsets over the water. So why do I go back every year? I’ve seen it, and yet I long to see it again year after year.

It’s the same with recipes. After two weeks away (and eating at restaurants) I was longing for an old favorite I’ve made scores of times—simple roast chicken. This is the perfect “welcome home” meal, comforting to make and to eat!

Welcome Back Roast Chicken

For the chicken:

1 5 to 6 pound whole roasting chicken, neck and giblets discarded (mine was local and organic)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 lemons, quartered
1 head garlic halved crosswise

Kitchen twine

For the herb butter:

10 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 tbsp. finely chopped oregano

2 tbsp. finely chopped thyme
2 tsp. smoked paprika
2 tsp. packed light brown sugar

Position the oven rack to the center of oven. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Pat the chicken dry and sprinkle the cavity with salt and pepper, generously. Stuff with lemon and one garlic half (you may need to break the garlic up if the cavity is small).

Season the outside of the chicken with salt and pepper.

In a 1-quart saucepan, combine the butter, sage, thyme, smoked paprika and light brown sugar over medium heat until well combined. Set aside.

Place the second quartered lemon in the bottom of a roasting pan with the other half of the garlic. Place chicken in the roasting pan on top of the lemons. Tuck wings behind the chicken and tie legs together with kitchen twine if desired (sometimes I don’t tie the legs together).

Brush the herb butter all over the chicken and under the skin, reserving some for basting. Pour one cup of water in the bottom of the pan.

Roast chicken for 1 ½ hours or until a meat thermometer reads 170 degrees F.

I served mine with a roasted beet salad to make up for all the restaurant food I enjoyed on vacation. Sometimes I throw quartered potatoes and onions into the roasting pan to make a whole meal.

Enjoy!

If you would like to write a guest blog post here on The Rantings of an Amateur Chef and drive new readers to your own site, please contact me at rantingchef@yahoo.com.